Supports including the above-mentioned characteristics are used widely in the photographic and cinematographic fields, generally in association with tripods or stands for the orientable support of cameras. In this field, a need arises to position the stand or tripod with a pillar support mounted thereon and to be able to orient the apparatus mounted on the support about its own axis. This need arises typically to achieve panoramic shots.
In this situation, it is necessary to position the tripod with care so that the rotation of the pillar takes place while the desired level state of the camera is maintained.
Cinematographic tripods and stands are also known, in which, to avoid the need for a level position, supports are used which have orientable platforms on which the head that supports the optical or photographic apparatus is mounted in turn. However, these supports require rack drives which interfere with the freedom of positioning of the pillar. Moreover, they are wholly unsuitable for applications in which the pillar can be moved to two or more positions on the tripod.
Supports for apparatus having conventional features are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,982 and in U.S. Pat. No. 2,168,988.